When a drill intersection returns grades for multiple metals, miners often express the combined economic value as a single equivalent grade. Gold equivalent (AuEq) is the most widely used. It converts all metals in the intersection into their gold equivalent using relative metal prices, producing one number that captures the full value of the hit.
Metal equivalents make it easier to compare intersections across projects and commodities. A copper-gold intersection can be directly compared to a gold-only intersection once both are expressed in AuEq.
Overall Intersection
m
AuEq Grade(g/t)
0Gram x Meter(AuEq)
0*Enter Data Manually
Gold
g/t
Silver
g/t
Copper
%
Nickel
%
Zinc
%
Lead
%
Palladium
g/t
Platinium
g/t
Lithium
%
g/t
%
AuEq
g/t
0
AgEq
g/t
0
CuEq
%
0
NiEq
%
0
ZnEq
%
0
PbEq
%
0
PdEq
g/t
0
PtEq
g/t
0
Li20
%
0
Other
g/t
0
Other
%
0
AuEq
g/t
0
AgEq
g/t
0
CuEq
%
0
NiEq
%
0
ZnEq
%
0
PbEq
%
0
PdEq
g/t
0
PtEq
g/t
0
Li20
%
0
Other
g/t
0
Other
%
0
(USD)
*Editable Data
Gold
oz
Silver
oz
Copper
t
Nickel
t
Zinc
t
Lead
t
Palladium
oz
Platinum
oz
Lithium
t
Other
oz
Other
%
Enter the intersection length
Input the total drill intersection in metres.
Enter individual metal grades
Add grades for each metal present. Supported metals: gold (g/t), silver (g/t), copper (%), nickel (%), zinc (%), lead (%), palladium (g/t), platinum (g/t), lithium (%), plus two custom inputs.
Read the equivalent grades
The calculator returns equivalent grade for all supported base metals: AuEq, AgEq, CuEq, NiEq, ZnEq, PbEq, PdEq, PtEq, and Li2O.
Read gram × metre values
For precious metals, the gram × metre output lets you compare intersections of different widths on an equal footing.
Gram x metre (g x m) is the product of grade and intersection width. It is the standard metric for comparing precious metal intersections regardless of width. A 5 g/t hit over 10 metres (50 g x m) and a 10 g/t hit over 5 metres (50 g x m) carry identical economic weight. Gram x metre removes width as a variable, making direct comparison possible.
Use gram x metre alongside the metal equivalent grade to assess whether an ASX announcement is genuinely significant or only impressive in isolation. Not sure how the equivalent grade stacks up against peers? Our commodities grade guide sets benchmark thresholds for gold, copper, nickel, lithium, and 20+ other commodities.
Multi-metal intersection includes a narrow high-grade core? Use the Residual Grade Calculator to see what the rest of the rock actually grades at before relying on the headline equivalent.
Gold equivalent expresses the combined value of multiple metals as if all were converted to gold. For each metal, divide (grade x metal price) by the gold price. The sum of all contributions is the total AuEq grade.
For each metal: (grade x metal price) / base metal price = equivalent grade in the base metal. Sum the contributions from each metal to get the total equivalent grade.
Gram x metre is grade (g/t) multiplied by intersection width (metres). It allows direct comparison between intersections of different widths and grades. A higher g x m indicates a more significant intersection relative to its peers.
Metal equivalents let companies express the full economic value of a polymetallic intersection as a single number. This simplifies comparisons but must be read alongside the assumed metal prices used — these assumptions have a material impact on the reported equivalent.
Gold, silver, copper, nickel, zinc, lead, palladium, platinum, and lithium. Two additional custom metal inputs are also available for less common commodities.
